At the Sign of the Crow and Moon: A Sorcery Ascendant Prequel Novella

In the bustling capital city of the Mahruse Empire, Felicienne Shyrise spends her days as a talented investigator, taking on stolen goods and missing person cases and the occasional murder the city guard are too incompetent - or too lazy - to resolve. During the nights she hones her skills playing Dominion, a board game almost as complicated as life itself. She dreams of making a name for herself and becoming the richest woman in the Empire.

Felicienne Revealed

At the time of writing this is free so I was certainly never going to have any complaints about it. It is actually an interesting piece of character ..Show More »background for one of the main characters in the series and for that reason alone is interesting. Consistency with the main storyline is reasonable though somehow at this time she is considerably more talented at Dominion to suit the plot.

In itself it's also a decent short story with the same narrator so if you are enjoying the Sorcery Ascendant series and would like a little more of Felicienne then this should do the trick.

It's a real bonus of the modern reading platforms that it is now so much easier for writers to publish such "extras" so bravo to Mitchell Hogan and of course Audible for making this one happen.

A Crucible of Souls: The Sorcery Ascendant Sequence, Book 1

When Caldan’s parents are brutally slain, he is raised by monks and taught the arcane mysteries of sorcery. Vowing to discover for himself who his parents really were, and what led to their violent end, he is thrust into the unfamiliar chaos of city life. With nothing to his name but a pair of mysterious heirlooms and a handful of coins, he must prove his talent to earn an apprenticeship with a guild of sorcerers. But he soon learns the world outside the monastery is a darker place than he ever imagined, and his treasured sorcery has disturbing depths. As a shadowed evil manipulates the unwary and forbidden powers are unleashed, Caldan is plunged into an age-old conflict that brings the world to the edge of destruction…

Blood of Innocents: The Sorcery Ascendant Sequence, Book 2

Anasoma, jewel of the Mahruse Empire, has fallen. As Caldan and his companions flee the city, horrors from the time of the Shattering begin to close in. With Miranda’s mind broken by forbidden sorcery, Caldan is forced to disobey the most sacrosanct laws of the Protectors if he is to have any chance of healing her. But when one of the emperor’s warlocks arrives to take control of him, he begins to suspect his burgeoning powers may be more of a curse than a blessing, and that the enemies assailing the empire may be rivaled by even more sinister forces within.

A Divisive Series?

I’m enjoying this series. There, I said it. It seems however that some others simply aren’t so why is this series causing such a wide spread of reac..Show More »tions?

Firstly, I do think it has a lot going for it. The plot is building nicely in terms of the conflict. The world and the factions within it are intriguing and some of the character development is actually pretty good. I have particularly enjoyed the slow reveal of the deliciously twisted Amaden over the first two books. The description and use of magic in the books is very well done. A mix of the pseudo-scientific and the bright-eyed wonder of spectacular and at times subtle sorcery. The use of that sorcery in the action scenes is very impressive with no little ingenuity. The whole thing is very, very well performed by Oliver Wyman with an impressive and consistent range of character voices.

So, what’s not to like? Well, it’s not the fastest paced book you will ever read. There is a fair amount of repetitive soul-searching and if Oliver Wyman has a weakness it’s in the narrative away from the dialogue. The lead character Caldan is a baffling mix of instinctively intuitive sorcerer, master tactician and frankly complete pillock. This seems to be at the root of many of the complaints and it’s a fair charge though I don’t think brilliant intelligence and a lack of basic human understanding is that rare a combination.

So, one that clearly splits opinion, and with good reasons. For me the story, the sorcery and Amaden will definitely draw me into following this to its conclusion in what I believe is the third and final book. If you liked the first one you’ll likely enjoy this too. If you were troubled by the first one the chances are that you’ll see the same flaws here too.

A Shattered Empire

In a battle of armies and sorcerers, empires will fall. After young Caldan's parents were slain, a group of monks raised the boy and initiated him into the arcane mysteries of sorcery. But when the Mahruse Empire was attacked and the lives of his friends hung in the balance, he was forced to make a dangerous choice. Now, as two mighty empires face off in a deadly game of supremacy, potent sorcery and creatures from legend have been unleashed. To turn the tide of war and prevent annihilation, Caldan must learn to harness his fearsome and forbidden magic.

A Shattered Empire Completes A Fine Whole

As I’ve mentioned in previous reviews this series has divided opinion and I can certainly see both sides. However, in this final installment the whol..Show More »e thing moves up another gear and I would imagine that most who stick with it through to the end will be glad that they did. After a brief prologue we’re straight back into the action as this book continues on immediately from where the second left off, the fighting at River’s Edge. It would however be wrong to go too far overboard with the praise. Caldan’s navel is still regularly examined but the action to navel gazing quotient definitely improves. Some of his motivations and logical conclusions also continued to puzzle me at times though.

However, there is much more of what has been good in this series and less of the problems. The action and adventure is a little faster-paced. The interesting magic system is expanded upon and I’m again impressed by the innovative and clever ways that the sorcery is used in combat. The main characters including my personal favourite Amaden are given fates befitting their importance and the ending while perhaps a little contrived satisfied me as well as most. The last few hours of the book form a very fitting and spectacular conclusion to the main storyline.

A Shattered Empire also continued with some of the core themes that I have enjoyed in the previous books. Everything really does come at a price and the continuing difficulty for Caldan in choosing the correct path as the sheer duplicity of many of the other characters is revealed. Not many people or institutions are purely good or evil, much like real life.

In short I think that Mitchell Hogan has delivered very strongly in this final book. Some will have been put off this series but if you have been happy enough with the first two books I would definitely recommend seeing it through to the bitter end!